Thursday Morning Fly By: A royal time for number nine

* The long awaited announcement Philadelphia sports announcement finally came ... Jori Lehtera was placed on waivers yesterday. (gotcha!) [BSH]

* Carter Hart is without a doubt the hottest commodity in Philadelphia right now, and Bill decided to take a look at his chances for a Calder Trophy winning season. [BSH]

* Steve and Craig (Graig) are at it again with a new Flyperbole, where two foot long ham and cheese hoagies are discussed. Thank you Nolan Patrick. [BSH]

* With the trade deadline looming, and the Flyers surging, our pal Charlie takes a look at the Wayne Simmonds situation and what the Flyers should do with the pending UFA winger. [The Athletic]

* We all know what the biggest trade in NHL history is, but what about the runner-up? Down Goes Brown took a further look at some of the candidates. [The Athletic]

* Speaking of trades, the Nashville Predators had a busy day yesterday, trading for Brian Boyle and Cody McLeod. [TSN]

* Amidst the great story of Kendall Coyne Schofield and Brianna Decker at the NHL All-Star Game, there’s more women breaking barriers in hockey. When could we see the first women referee? [CBC]

* Scott Gordon had a rough go in his first stint as a head coach in the NHL, but with adjustments (and a few saves), he’s getting better and better as time goes on. [Courier-Post]

* Although there have been more trades of late, there hasn’t been the expected wave of trades leading up to the deadline. The tight playoff races have slowed it all down. [Pro Hockey Talk]

* And finally, Gritty has taken the world by storm, even Capitol Hill. [NBC Sports Philly]